Carleton students participating in the Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program this reading week won’t be impacted by President Donald Trump’s travel ban to the United States, said ASB organizer Taylor Monk.
The ASB program includes six different trips, two of which are in the United States: Queens, New York and New Orleans, Louisiana. Participants spend 10 days abroad participating in a community service-learning initiative focusing on a specific theme—such as access to education, conservation, and access to clean water.
Concern grew for the participants when President Trump invoked a controversial executive order on Jan. 28, which prohibits seven Muslim-majority countries—Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen—from entering the U.S.
Although Trump described his efforts to “keep out radical Islamic terrorists,” he announced that no one with a passport or dual citizenship from the countries listed would be allowed to enter the United States for the next 90 days—including students.
But updated articles published by the Toronto Star and Calgary Herald have confirmed that people in Canada with dual citizenships with one of the seven countries will be exempt from the ban.
When asked if any of the ASB participants are dual citizens or have a passport from the seven countries banned by President Trump, Monk said that “the executive orders recently implemented in the United States does not appear to have any impact on our participants or travel plans.”
But she said organizers will remain vigilant in watching the status of the American ban.
“Our team is taking proactive measures and continuing to liaise with appropriate parties to provide our students with the most up-to-date information—so all of our travellers are educated and aware,” Monk said.
– Graphic by Christophe Young
